


A Blessed Soul Doth In Elysium

by xxpaynoxx



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Gen, M/M, basically sad depressing redeemed anakin stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-25
Updated: 2016-01-25
Packaged: 2018-05-16 07:04:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5818897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xxpaynoxx/pseuds/xxpaynoxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I'll be as patient as a gentle stream; and make a pastime of each weary step, till the last step have brought me to my love; and there I'll rest, as after much turmoil.</p><p>(sort of based off of <a href="http://yukipri.tumblr.com/post/137846480502/please-forgive-us-the-ones-obi-wan-kenobi">this</a> art by yukipri)</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Blessed Soul Doth In Elysium

**QUI-GON**

He’s slipping, fast.

He can hear the lightsaber battle happening around him, and he can feel the anger radiating from his apprentice as he attacks the Sith with full force, the energy pulsing around him as the two battle, bathing the air in a blue and red light-show.

Qui-gon presses his hands to his middle, trying to staunch the wound and feeling the blood trickle through his fingertips as he grimaces, and he can feel it. He can feel the Force flowing through him, more than he ever has, and his vision begins to blur, and he _knows_.

Blue eyes swim into his vision, and he can feel his head being propped on Obi-wan’s lap as the boy leans over him, shaking his head as his eyes grow glassy with tears. “Master,” he whispers, voice shaky as his trembling hands brush through his hair.

“I-It’s too late,” Qui-gon whispers. He can feel it. He can feel his spirit growing restless, and he calms himself as he prepares to be accepted into the Force.

“No,” he hears Obi-wan faintly whisper, and Qui-gon feels his tears falling onto his face as Obi-wan looks at him helplessly, shaking his head. He reaches up and brushes his hand across his young apprentice’s face, feeling a flash of a smile flicker across his lips.

“Train the boy,” he whispers, and Obi-wan nods quickly, gulping. “Y-Yes, Master, I will,” he says, but Qui-gon stops him as he clutches to the front of his robes.

“He will bring balance,” he whispers, remembering Anakin’s Force signature on Tatooine all those weeks ago, remembering how daring the boy was and remembering how he felt when he’d won, and how the Force had practically trembled with happiness.

“Train him,” he breathes, and he shuts his eyes as he hears Obi-wan mumble an agreement as he breaks down, and Qui-gon feels himself soar.

He wakes to white.

He’s dressed in his robes, but he cannot see anything in front of him except for a plain brown door. He reaches for his lightsaber, but it’s gone. _Huh_ , he thinks, faintly perplexed as he approaches the door, and it slides open as he moves in front of it.

What he sees is beautiful.

**OBI-WAN**

When Obi-wan stepped forward into that hangar, he knew in his bones that he wasn’t going to come back out.

The breathing of a ventilator breaks him from his concentration, and he draws his lightsaber out of the recesses of his cloak as he turns, and is confronted with a black warrior.

Darth Vader.

Obi-wan felt his heart ache as he looks at him. His armor is shiny, and he moves heavily, like he’s dragging something on his shoulders other than his whole body. He stands with his hands sitting on his hips, and it’s such an Anakin stance that Obi-wan almost cracks right then.

“I have been waiting for you, Obi-wan,” he rasps, but all Obi-wan hears is his screaming on that hideous lava planet all those years ago, and instead of the black demon standing in front of him, he can see a dark, swirling cloud of anger, with yellow eyes and messy hair.

It hurts to look any harder at him.

He doesn’t even feel the blade slice through him, but as soon as it does, he’s closing his eyes and he’s flying.

And he hears Qui-gon whispering his name, and he feels cloth against his cheek, and he feels stronger, younger, _whole_ again. He reaches out and clutches the front of Qui-gon’s robes, and opens his eyes to meet his former Master’s bright green ones, looking down at him and crinkling at the edges as he smiles.

Obi-wan lets out a sob, and he feels Qui-gon gather him in his arms, his chin fitting just above his head as Obi-wan clings to his robes, running his shaking hands through his hair to make sure this isn’t just a bad dream, that’s it’s real and Qui-gon is here and he isn’t going to leave.

“I’m so sorry, dear one,” he hears Qui-gon rumble, and Obi-wan pulls away for a moment to wipe his tears away from his eyes as he shakes his head, smiling up at him. “Don’t apologize, Master,” he begins, but Qui-gon hushes him.

“No, I am. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you with Anakin. I’m sorry I didn’t do more. I’m sorry you had to suffer on your own. I’m so, so sorry,” he says in a low voice, and Obi-wan presses his hands on either side of Qui-gon’s face, biting his lip so he doesn’t start crying again. “It’s okay,” he whispers, and Qui-gon blinks at him before nodding, helping him to his feet.

“Come, everyone has been waiting for you,” he says, stretching out his hand. Obi-wan takes it, and they walk through the door together.

ANAKIN

He knows that this is the end.

He can’t breathe; the respirator shorted out when he threw the Emperor over the banister and down the shaft. He’s stumbling down the stairs, his lack of oxygen making his legs weak. He’s holding onto the boy’s shoulder--his son, so much like Padmé it hurts him--with a vice-like grip, and they make it to the hangar as he hears faint explosions inside of the Death Star.

He feels himself fall, and he can see Luke prop him up against the wall and look him over, his scared eyes betraying his calm voice as he says that he’s going to save him. His hands are shaking, running over his black armor that seemed more like a prison now than ever, and he catches Luke’s hand, forcing the boy to look at him.

“Please, help me take this mask off.”

He’s shocked at the pleading tone in his voice, but he needs proper air. The respirator is clogging, and he’s choking. His vision is blurring, but he can still see Luke clearly. Although, instead of Luke, his vision flickers to show a radiant blur of blue light, and he realizes he’s finally seeing Luke’s Force signature, strong and bright and _good_.

_So much like himself all those years ago._

Luke takes the mask off, and he has to blink a few times before his eyes get used to all of the colors he’s been missing since he was trapped underneath those red-tinted lenses; the gray walls, the white of the Imperial shuttle still sitting in the hangar, and most importantly, Luke’s eyes.

They’re startlingly blue.

He sees so much of himself in the boy, and it hurts his heart that he can’t be with him longer. That he missed all of these years because of his own selfishness, his own version of purgatory. He rasps out a small _thank you_ before he feels it.

He can feel the Force calling to him, and he shuts his eyes, hearing Luke’s plea to stay with him, and it wrenches his heart as the noise around him fades and there’s nothing. There’s finally silence.

Anakin’s eyes slide open, and everything is blurry for a moment before he realizes that he’s curled up on the ground. He moves his arms first, flexing his hands and realizing that he’s no longer trapped in that black armor. He’s flesh and bone again, and he looks down at his arms as he sits up.

One is flesh, and the other is clothed in his black glove. He slides it off the reveal a shiny robotic arm, like the one he used to have before…before everything happened.

His robes are a dark brown, and he’s wearing his boots and his cloak again. He feels whole again, like the one thing he’s been missing his whole life is back inside of him.

He stands, unsteadily at first because he hasn’t walked on human legs since before everything happened, but he quickly gains the movement again as he turns and is met by a large, brown door.

He swipes his hair away from his face, a little shocked as his fingers glide through the strands with ease, and he’s scraping at his head, feeling his hair again because he hasn’t had hair like this in a very, very long time. He then runs his hands down his face, running his fingers across the bumpy scar next to his eye and he smiles.

The door opens, and he’s met with a long, bright hallway.

It’s in the Jedi Temple, that much he knows. He recognizes the brown floor as his footsteps thud across the carpet, and he looks out the windows as he passes them, watching the sunlight stretch long shadows across the floor; shadows of his childhood, shadows of his apprenticeship.

He sees the podrace from Tatooine, and he sees Qui-gon talking to him as they land on Coruscant. He sees Padmé, reaching out and wrapping her arms around him and holding him close. He sees himself sitting in the field on Naboo, laughing with her and rolling around in the grass. He sees himself with Obi-wan, and he sees the love shining in his Master’s eyes as he watches himself and Ahsoka sitting and talking.

Anakin stops dead near the end of the hallway.

_Obi-wan._

Would he love him like that again? Would he care about him like that again, after everything he did?

He can still feel the heat from the lava on his face. He can see Obi-wan screaming down at him from the higher ground, tears sliding down his face. He can feel the words tearing themselves out of his throat, and the remorse afterwards as he watches Obi-wan yell at him that he loved him.

Past-tense.

_Would he?_

He remembers all those years, feeling the tatters of their Force bond flutter with energy from time to time. He could sense Obi-wan, but he didn’t know where he was. He was so _angry_. He remembers being furious at himself, for not being able to save Padmé or his children. He remembers killing Obi-wan, watching his robe and lightsaber fall to the ground, and feeling like someone had reached into his chest and ripped his heart out.

Anakin feels himself grow hesitant as he climbs the stairs, seeing another large door and recognizing it almost immediately.

It’s the Jedi Council room.

That’s when he stops, rolling back on his heels and biting his lip.

He can’t do it.

He’s not worthy. He’s not worth whatever lies beyond that door. He’s done too much, tarnished himself too much.

He goes to turn around when the door slides open with a faint _woosh_ , and he’s met with Qui-gon Jinn.

He doesn’t know what to say as the old Jedi Master moves forward, opening his arms, and Anakin runs right into them.

“I have waited for you for a long time, Anakin Skywalker,” he rumbles, and Anakin flinches away as if stung.

“I-I’m not…”

“Not worthy?”

Anakin looks into Qui-gon’s eyes and nods, swallowing.

Qui-gon studies him for a few moments before smiling, crossing his arms in front of him. “Dear one, you were always worthy. You just strayed away for too long, but you’re here now. You’ve brought balance to the Force, just like I told you,” he explained, but Anakin shook his head.

“I-I…I killed so many _people_ …people who had a life, men with wives, women with husbands, fathers, mothers, children…I-I’ve brought so much hurt to the galaxy, so much _pain_ , how could anyone ever forgive me for what I’ve done? How could anyone just accept that I simply messed up a few times, Master? How could anyone-”

Anakin stops halfway through his sentence as Qui-gon grabs either side of his arms, looking deep into his eyes.

“There is _always_ room for forgiveness, Anakin. That is what we have been taught, from the first day inside of these walls. Not every prophecy is fulfilled as we expect it to, but you did. You gave Luke and Leia a chance. You gave _everyone_ another chance. And I can tell you, that that chance has not gone unnoticed.”

Anakin looks at Qui-gon in shock as the man pulls him into a tight embrace, eyes wide as Qui-gon rubs his back, pressing his cheek on top of his curls.

“A-And Obi-wan?”

Qui-gon stayed silent.

“I can’t see him. I tortured him, I betrayed him. I betrayed my own _master_. I…I killed him. I can’t see him. I can’t do it, Qui-gon,” he babbles, and Qui-gon looks down at him, eyes kind.

“I can assure you that he’s forgiven you as well. My old apprentice may be a stickler for the rules, but he loved you unlike anyone I’ve ever seen, even more than Satine. He still does.”

Anakin looks up in confusion, and Qui-gon nods his head at another door.

His pulse shoots into the clouds as he realizes the other door has opened, and Obi-wan enters the room.

He looks exactly the same as he did when he’d said goodbye to him before leaving for Utapau. His blue eyes are shiny, and his lips are twisted in a smile. His arms are crossed in front of his robes, and he regards him in silence, as if waiting for him to talk.

He suddenly feels very small. He wants to sink into the floor, is what he wants to do.

“What, nothing to say, Anakin?”

He turns away, running a hand across his face.

“I…I can’t believe you’ve forgiven me,” he whispers in shock, and Obi-wan’s eyebrows furrow over his bright blue eyes, his lips turned down in a frown. “Whatever do you mean, Anakin?” he asks, and Anakin feels him press a hand against his shoulder. He can feel tears begin to prick his eyes again as he looks at his former Master, who suddenly looks very concerned.

“I’ve caused you so much hurt. I…I betrayed you, I _hurt_ you, I told you I hated you…I _killed_ you. How can you even bare to look at me?” he cries, his face falling into his hands as he bursts into tears.

He feels his cheek press against soft cloth and Obi-wan’s arms wrap around him, one of his hands pressing against the back of his head. Anakin clutches at his robes as he sighs.

“Oh, Anakin, how could I _not_ forgive you? I loved you, I still do. You always forgive the ones you love, even if it isn’t easy. You don’t give up on them, and I never gave up on you, even those times when I had wrongly accepted that you were beyond my help. Luke saw the good in you, and I had to trust him. He was my new hope, and he was yours. He was _so_ much like you, Anakin, so good and with the best intentions. But I also saw Padmé in him, the way he saw the good in you, the want to help you and the steel will to bring you back. And he succeeded, and he brought you back to me.”

Anakin looks up at Obi-wan then, and smiles through the tear tracks running down his cheeks.

He sees Obi-wan return it, and he feels Qui-gon wrap his arms around them both, drawing the two men into his chest.

“Welcome home, Anakin.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> are you crying? i hope so, because i did. a lot.
> 
> follow me on [tumblr](http://anakins.co.vu)!


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